VIDISHA

also spelled Vidisa town, west-central Madhya Pradesh state, central India. It lies just east of the Betwa River. Formerly called Bhilsa (or Bhelsa), Vidisha is of great antiquity, being mentioned in the Sanskrit epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. Under the Maurya and Gupta empires the town was a great religious, commercial, and political centre. It fell to the Muslims in 1235. Numerous remains of Buddhist stupas nearby, commonly called Bhilsa Topes, date from between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD and include the Sanchi (q.v.) group. To the north lies the site of Besnagar, the older city remains, with a 1st-century-BC monolithic pillar. Nearby, on Udayapur Hill, are remains of cave temples dating from the Gupta period (4th6th century AD). Renamed Vidisha in 1956, the modern town is an agricultural trade centre and is engaged in flour milling and hand weaving. The town has four colleges, including a technological institute, affiliated with Bhopal University. Wheat, sorghum, and oilseeds are the chief crops of the surrounding area. Pop. (1981) town, 65,521.